Adjoa Andoh
English actress
I don’t care if I’m not remembered.
What would you like to be remembered for?
Question
How would you like to die?
Death & what remains
Question
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Time & hindsight
Question
Are you afraid of death?
Death & what remains
Originally asked
Vogue, to one guest at a time, on camera, 73 Questions
A recurring legacy prompt in Vogue's 73 Questions, appearing with only minor wording changes.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
All our lives are little books - but they're not someone else's complete book. You're a chapter or a page or a footnote in someone else's life and they are going to keep writing beautiful chapters when you are gone. And those green shoots can grow around grief and put it in perspective. I hope people will think, "I'm glad I read that - Simon's story". And just because it's over, doesn't mean it's gone.
Emma Barnett, BBC Radio 4, Today, as published by BBC News, 4 July 2024 source ↗
Others on this question
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Jonnie Peacock
British athlete
Someone happy and cheeky who tried to change perceptions.
Finally nailing being on time.
Cheryl Strayed
Author of Wild and Tiny Beautiful Things
As much as my writing is so important to me and it’s the work I’m here to do, by far the more important thing to me is the people I love.
More from Simon Boas
View profile →My pain is under control and I'm terribly happy - it sounds weird to say, but I'm as happy as I've ever been in my life. I used to think I'd rather be hit by the proverbial bus, but having a couple of months knowing this is coming has really helped me both do the boring 'death-min', but also get my thoughts and prepare myself, and feel so accepting of what's to come. It's been such a great bonus, actually.
All our tombs will be unvisited in a few years - all our actions will mostly be unremembered - but the smile you gave the checkout lady or the kind words you gave to a stranger in the street could still be rippling forward. We all have that opportunity and it's a huge power.
I'm sort of - not looking forward to my final day - of course that's the wrong way to see it. But I'm kind of curious about it, and I'm happy and I'm ready. As Julian of Norwich said: "All shall be well, and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well.
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